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Posts Tagged ‘statue of liberty’

Statue of Liberty Museum

Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

June 26, 2019

Last month, in May 2019, a new Statue of Liberty Museum opened alongside Lady Liberty herself on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The museum details the history of the Statue of Liberty, from conception and completion to its current state. It also explains the evolving ideals of American liberty since the statue was completed in 1886, from the woman suffrage and civil rights movements to the welcoming of millions of immigrants from around the world. The museum also houses memorabilia and items that have been replaced on the statue, such as the famous original torch.

Statue Of Liberty Museum on its opening day on Liberty Island, NY on  May 16, 2019.  Credit: © Maria Kraynova, Shutterstock

People admire the views from atop the Statue of Liberty Museum on May 16, 2019, the museum’s opening day. Credit: © Maria Kraynova, Shutterstock

Every year, some 4.3 million people take ferries to visit Liberty Island and the former immigration station on nearby Ellis Island. (Together, the islands make up the Statue of Liberty National Monument.) However, since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the National Park Service has restricted the number of visitors who can enter the Statue of Liberty’s massive stone pedestal and travel up to the crown. A stand-alone museum, then, was created to accommodate all visitors to Liberty Island.

Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island. Credit: © Matej Hudovernik, Shutterstock

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886. Credit: © Matej Hudovernik, Shutterstock

After the the abolition of slavery and the end of the American Civil War in 1865, the French politician and historian Édouard Laboulaye proposed the construction of a joint French and American monument celebrating the ideals of liberty. Laboulaye’s friend, the sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, chose Liberty Island (then called Bedloe’s Island) for the statue’s location, and he began designing the massive monument. Construction of the statue—fully named Liberty Enlightening the World—began in 1875 at a workshop in Paris, and work on the pedestal began in 1884 in the United States. The last pieces of the statue arrived in New York in 1885, and the fully constructed statue and pedestal were dedicated in 1886.

The story of Lady Liberty’s torch is an interesting one. The torch arrived in 1876, ahead of the rest of the statue. It was displayed—along with the arm holding it—in Philadelphia and then in New York City. Originally, the torch was not meant to be illuminated from within. The gilded copper of the torch would reflect sunlight during the day, and lights were to be installed below it. By the time it was placed atop the statue in 1886, however, portholes had been cut in the torch to allow interior arc lights to be seen at night. The portholes were soon replaced with windows, and a sky light was added. At that time, visitors could ascend to the dizzying heights of the torch.

In 1916, floodlights were installed at the base of the statue and the torch lighting system was changed. People were no longer allowed in the torch or on the torch’s observation deck. Hundreds of windows were cut in the copper flame of the torch, and powerful lamps inside lit the torch.

In 1984, age and weather damage forced the removal of the original torch. The new torch, in place since 1986, followed the statue’s original plans and has no windows. Its flame is covered with gold leaf and glows with reflected light. The old torch toured the United States and was displayed in the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal before finding a home in the new museum.

Click to view larger image This map shows the location of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in Upper New York Bay. The monument includes the statue on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island immigration station. Liberty Island is officially under the jurisdiction of New York. Most of Ellis Island is under New Jersey's jurisdiction. But the National Park Service actually operates both sites. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Click to view larger image
The Statue of Liberty National Monument includes Ellis and Liberty islands in Upper New York Bay. Credit: WORLD BOOK map

The Statue of Liberty Museum is accessible to all visitors of Liberty Island, and the grass-covered green building incorporates an environmentally responsible design and sustainable practices. The museum offers audio tours in 12 languages and ties together the American and international pursuits of liberty.

The popularity and symbolism of the Statue of Liberty have led to its replication in many parts of the world. The most famous miniature copies of the statue stand in France (naturally), Norway (where much of the statue’s copper was mined), Brazil, China, Israel, and Japan. Lego-brick Statues of Liberty stand among other world monuments at Legoland parks in Denmark and other countries. Finally, a “lazy” Lady Liberty sits (rather than stands) atop a building in Lviv, Ukraine.

Tags: abolition, immigration, liberty island, museum, national park service, statue of liberty, statue of liberty museum
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Current Events, Education, Government & Politics, History, People, Race Relations | Comments Off

Lady Liberty Reopens on the Fourth of July

Friday, July 5th, 2013

July 5, 2013

Tourists from across the United States and from around the world flocked to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor on July 4 for the monument’s official reopening, eight months after Superstorm Sandy damaged the island on which the statue stands. The storm surge from Sandy that hit New York City on October 28, 2012, flooded about 75 percent of Liberty Island, seriously damaging the island’s infrastructure, including walkways, docks, electrical systems, and sewage pumps. Thanks to its iron framework, the statue itself was undamaged by the superstorm’s ferocious winds. Unfortunately, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum was completely flooded during the storm and remains closed for repairs.

The ceremonies yesterday marked the second official reopening of the statue in less than one year. Just one day before Sandy hit, the United States Department of the Interior had unveiled a yearlong, $27.25-million renovation of the statue and Liberty Island. The renovations included improving stairways and upgrading electrical and fire-safety systems, elevators, and bathrooms. A new elevator allowed visitors with mobility challenges to ride to an observation deck at the top of the statue’s pedestal (base), higher than ever before, and to view the interior features of the statue. In addition, visitors were once again able to climb all the way from Lady Liberty’s feet to her head to view the harbor and surrounding area from the crown. The crown was closed in 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Sandy forced the closing of the monument again on October 29, 2012.

The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and a beacon of freedom for immigrants, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1884 as an expression of friendship. The monument rises above star-shaped Fort Wood, built during the early 1800's. ((c) George Goodwin, Monkmeyer)

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal. The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction was completed in April 1886. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

Related World Book articles:

  • Hunt, Richard M.
  • Immigration
  • Lazarus, Emma
  • Statue of Liberty National Monument

Tags: ellis island, liberty island, new york city, statue of liberty, superstorm sandy
Posted in Current Events, History, Holidays/Celebrations, Natural Disasters | Comments Off

Statue of Liberty’s Crown Officially Reopens

Friday, October 26th, 2012

October 28, 2012

A newly renovated Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor officially reopened on Sunday, October 28, after a year-long, $27.25-million effort to make the monument safer and more accessible. However, the statue was closed again on Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and 30, because of Hurricane Sandy.

Once the momument reopens to the public on October 31, visitors will once again be able to climb all the way from Lady Liberty’s feet to her head to view the harbor and surrounding area from the crown. About 10 people can fit into the crown at one time. As visitors make the estimated 20-minute climb, they will also be able to examine the statue’s interior architecture and copper skin. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year. During the renovations, Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, remained open, as did the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.

Since the statue was closed on October 29, 2011, the United States Department of the Interior has installed improved stairways and upgraded electrical and fire-safety systems, elevators, and bathrooms. The additions include an elevator that will allow visitors with mobility challenges to ride to an observation deck at the top of the statue’s pedestal (base), higher than ever before, and to view the interior features of the statue.

The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and a beacon of freedom for immigrants, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1884 as an expression of friendship. The monument rises above star-shaped Fort Wood, built during the early 1800's. (c) George Goodwin, Monkmeyer

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal. The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction was completed in April 1886. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

Related World Book articles:

  • Hunt, Richard M.
  • Immigration
  • Lazarus, Emma
  • Statue of Liberty National Monument

Tags: ellis island, frederic auguste bartholdi, gustave eiffel, liberty island, new york city, statue of liberty
Posted in Arts & Entertainment, Current Events, History | Comments Off

Statue of Liberty’s 125th Anniversary Is Celebrated

Friday, October 28th, 2011

October 28, 2011

Fireworks, a flotilla of ships, and a reading of Emma Lazarus’s  “The New Colossus” were among the events scheduled for a celebration on October 28, 2011, to mark the 125th anniversary of the dedication of Statue of Liberty. Lazarus’s poem includes the famous lines, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… .” In addition, five webcams attached to Lady Liberty’s torch were to begin streaming views of New York City and New Jersey unseen by anyone except maintenance crews since the torch was closed to tourists in 1916. From the 1890′s to the 1920′s, millions of immigrants passed the Statue of Liberty as they sailed into New York Harbor to begin lives as Americans.

Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the United States and a beacon of freedom for immigrants, stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. George Goodwin, Monkmeyer

 

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal (base). The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction was completed in April 1886. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886.

On October 29, 2011, the interior spaces of the statue will be closed for a year-long renovation project. The $27.25-million project to make the interior safer and more accessible will include installing improved stairways and upgrading electrical and fire-safety systems, and elevators. Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, will remain open, as will the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. The statue underwent a series of major repairs in 1986. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.

Related World Book articles:

  • Hunt, Richard M.
  • Statue of Liberty National Monument

 

Tags: ellis island, emma lazarus, frederic auguste bartholdi, gustave eiffel, immigration, new york city, statue of liberty
Posted in Current Events, Government & Politics | Comments Off

Repairing the Statue of Liberty

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor will be closed for repairs for a year beginning on October 28, 2011, the 125th anniversary of the monument’s dedication. The $27.25-million renovation will make the interior safer and more accessible, says United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. The project will include installing improved stairways and upgrading electrical and fire-safety systems, elevators, and bathrooms. Liberty Island, on which the statue stands, will remain open, as will the Ellis Island Immigration Museum. About 3.5 million people visit the Statue of Liberty each year.

Statue of Liberty

The statue’s complete name is Liberty Enlightening the World. It was given to the people of the United States by the people of France in 1884 as an expression of friendship and of the ideal of liberty shared by both peoples. French citizens donated the money to build the statue, and people in the United States raised the funds to construct the foundation and the pedestal (base). The French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue and chose its site. Gustave Eiffel, the French engineer who later built the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, designed the iron framework that supports the statue’s copper covering. Construction began in 1884 and was completed in April 1886.

 

Related World Book articles:

  • Hunt, Richard M.
  • Immigration
  • Lazarus, Emma

 

Tags: ellis island, frederic auguste bartholdi, immigration, liberty island, new york city, statue of liberty
Posted in Current Events, Government & Politics, Technology | No Comments »

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